Suspicious activity at shopping centers can make it seem unsafe to potential shoppers, who may choose other, perceivably safer places to spend their hard-earned money. Even after-hour activity can be a threat to the success of your retail location as information about a specific event can get spread through the community. This month’s video shows how ECAM can deter potential theft at a shopping center and help it keep a positive reputation within its community.
Around 2 o’clock in the morning, a highly trained ECAM security operator saw an individual on a bicycle ride up to a shopping center. The individual dismounted the bike and suspiciously walked it to the front door of a store. Our operator activated the on-site speaker warning, but it did not deter the perpetrator. Our operator then attempted to call the property’s security guard, but no one answered. So, police were called.
The individual walked the bike over to a planter, laid it down and then stepped up onto the concrete planter rim, walked through the vegetation and approached store’s window. The thief busted out the bottom panel of the window and crawled inside.
Two police cruisers arrived on site. One officer inspected the front door of the store, before joining four other officers who were getting into position by the busted panel. One officer crawled through, apprehended the suspect, and led the hand-cuffed individual out of the store’s front door and into a police cruiser.
Suspicious Behavior Caught and Theft Thwarted with Live Video Monitoring
Shopping centers are usually designed as an outdoor experience. Because the space is not enclosed, the area is more difficult to secure. There are no clearly marked entries or exits. People come and go at various times and days. Even the center’s layout can be difficult to secure with various, abnormal corners and angles.
Stealth’s customized shopping center security solution helps alleviate the stress of shopping center owners by providing coverage of unique areas. This includes storefronts back alleys, parking garages and lots and sometimes even rooftops. Our solutions are designed to catch events as they happen, not after the fact by relying on motion sensors. We are able to do this with our advanced video analytics that come pre-programmed on video surveillance cameras in combination with human intelligence – our highly trained security monitoring operators.
Our operators are equipped with tools such as onsite speakers to inform trespassers and other unwanted individuals they have been seen and are being actively watched. Stealth operators can also contact police if necessary and continue to watch the event until police arrive to take over.
In the above video, a suspicious individual was seen by one of our operators who immediately followed protocol and helped to deter theft, first activating the onsite speaker warning. Sometimes informing trespassers they are being watched is enough to send them running. However, this individual was determined, so our operator was there to take further action to help deter theft by contacting police, which resulted in an arrest.
Contact us to discuss how Stealth’s customized security solution can provide effective security for your unique shopping center while minimizing liability – all at a price that is typically 25-60% more cost-effective than traditional security solutions.
